Best way to thank someone for writing a letter of recommendation?

If feasible, visiting them in person is usually the best option—especially if you can provide them with follow-up results. It would be even better to provide them with a thank you note, even a brief one, to show your gratitude, but an in-person conversation should suffice.

Concur with @muppetish. Saying “Thank you” in person is probably usually enough.

I think any kind of acknowledgement is fine though.

If you can’t get to them in person, or schedules conflict too much for the other party perhaps a 20$ gift card to a restaurant will do!

Saying thank you in person is best, next is by phone, then by mail, and finally by email. Do not under any circumstances give a gift of any monetary value of any kind whatsoever.

Agree that an in-person thank you is good, but only if it doesn’t require travel. It would be a little weird to go a long way to see someone in person for this kind of thing. If they’re in the same school as you, then fine. Equally, don’t try to schedule a meeting for this – that would be a further inconvenience to someone who just made time to do you a favour. Personally, I would just send a simple thank you email, nothing effusive. Keep it professional.

And @Hawaii_Jake is right. Don’t give a gift.

They wrote a letter; you can at least write a note. If it’s very easy to just drop by and say thank you, do that too.

I dont think there is anything wrong with a gift. Writing a letter of recommendation means you have spent significant time with that employer or supervisor who ever you are asking. Personally I know my supervisor is very busy and for her to take time out of her day to write a letter recommendation means a lot to me. Well we go back and forth with small gifts anyhow.

If you were asking me the best way to thank an interviewer, definitely a gift would be a huge no no.

The top 3 things that your letter should contain:

* The first part of your letter should tell how you know the person.
* The second part should explain what the person did for you.
* The third part should explain why you are recommending the person for the position, or scholarship, or internship or whatever the letter is for.